Friday, June 26, 2015

Part I Hearing Voices: 6 Steps I Used For Creating An Anthology

An anthology has the power to magnify the voices of its
contributors much like the device of a Greek Chorus in a play. The Chorus is
the mouthpiece for the audience clarifying the theme of the play, adding
commentary, asking questions, and narrating the action.

In an anthology, the
contributors become the Chorus, fulfilling the same function, making sure the
unique voice of that collection of work can be heard “loud and clear” by its
readers.

1.
Find A Unique Theme

After some positive experiences of contributing to educational anthologies, (see below) I was
ready to work on my own. But what voice needed to be heard and hadn’t been
heard before?

A life-changing experience answered these questions whenmy son
was deployed to war.

Theseldom-heard voices of mothers sending their sons and
daughters to war needed to be heard. This Chorus would narrate their stories
telling of the sacrificeour children and military families make every day.The
working title for the book was inspired by a letter sent from my son while
serving in Iraq with six months more to go: “I look forward to brighter days of picnics and card games …
and church and things that families do together. I love you deeply, more than
you know. Your son, Joe.”

2.
Set Goals For Your Anthology

My
son made it home, defying death several times. I could breathe again. I wanted
this to be a book where military mothers could all breathe a little easier,
narrating our stories and sharing our burdens. Some of our stories are from Gold Star Mothers. Their children did not return.

Homecoming!

My goals:*Share stories from mothers of soldiers *Use writing as a therapeutic venue*Give back to our injured veterans (A
portion of the book’s proceeds is donated to charities.)

3. Create Guidelines For Your Contributors I
asked contributors to share glimpses of their lives: What does it mean to be
the mother of a soldier? How did you make it through the journey of separation
from your child during their deployment? How has this experience changed you?
What is the status of your soldier?

It was important to have these starting
questions as a jumping-off point. Some contributors had never
written their stories before, and they needed some guidance at first.

I
also wanted to include interwoven in the chapters, copies of e-mails, letters,
photos, and recollections of phone calls between mother and soldier(s). Hard to believe, but some moms had more than one child deployed at a time. All
this was to be done free of political commentary.

Celeste Hicks with

Micala, Nate, Patrick, Philip, & Mary

Part two includes: search for a publisher, call for submissions, securing release forms, and the power of the anthology, and is scheduled for July 10,2015.

Jilanne, I wanted the book to give a "look in the window" of the everyday lives of military families-- a living history of our times. I couldn't imagine being a mom of a soldier either. Our children are so brave. You support them always.

Janie, I will look foward to learning much from the July 10, 2015 article as I did from this one. Such a heartfelt sharing. Appreciations to you & especially to the men & women who serve/have served. A fitting week to post - approaching July 4th & all that represents.

Such a beautiful and heart warming post, Janie. You have shared an amazing story that honors our men and women in uniform. You and your husband raised a good man.

Thank you for the information about anthologies. I have learned new information today.

My husband Perry served in the US Air Force. We have a son who earned his nursing degree in the US Army. Another son who served in the US Coast Guard is an attorney. Prayers for those who wear the uniform proudly and their families who love and support them while on duty serving our great country.